Following the results of this week’s 2024 election, Women & Girls Education (WAGE) International would like to celebrate the addition of two Black women in Congress, Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware (the first women in the state elected to Congress) and the re-election of Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. Delaware voters also elected Sarah McBride to an at-large House seat, making her the first out transgender person elevated to Congress. New Jersey also added two more women to its congressional delegation: LaMonica McIver in the 10th Congressional District, and Nellie Pou in the 9th. They join Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Mikie Sherrill--hitting a high mark for the state.
We also celebrate the re-election of WAGE board member Art Howard who continues to be a beacon in his community and a champion of education for all as a member of the Robbinsville (NJ) School Board and assistant superintendent in Holmdel, NJ.
“I will work tirelessly to advocate for our incredible teachers, who are the backbone of our educational system, and to ensure our schools are transparent and fiscally responsible in every decision,” said Howard. “Together, we can continue to make choices that prioritize our most precious natural resource—our students.”
It’s important to recognize these amazing accomplishments. We also hope this will inspire girls to have the courage to follow their paths, or chart their own paths paved with their own hopes and dreams.
WAGE will continue to celebrate the value of human rights and education for women and girls, widen access to education and bolster self-esteem as a means to prevent or end violence and abuse against women and girls. We will continue to reject hateful rhetoric and actions while embracing kindness to others. We will continue to embrace the idea that we are here on earth to build each other up, not tear each other down.
I have never been more aware of what rights we are lucky enough to have than in this past year, working with a young woman from Afghanistan who along with every other woman in that country has no rights. The firsthand horrors I have learned that this brings them make me cry, angers me other times, knowing that to varying degrees this is also happening to so many people in many other countries like Sudan, Uganda, Sierra Leone, just to name a few. But I also know that there are many strong, resilient and compassionate people there too—this gives me hope and strength to keep moving forward. Be the voice for those who have no voice. Remember, your voice is your power and the vehicle to drive forward.
This world is much bigger in so many ways than just one person; happiness looks different for each person. No matter your faith, or lack of faith in a religion, no matter the color of your skin, race, gender, identity, or any other thing that may differentiate us, you deserve to be happy.
If you were born on this soil, then you are privileged, privileged that your ancestors likely abandoned their lives out of desperation because of religious persecution, violence, hunger or other issues to make a better life for their children or others that followed them. For others, the choice was not their own, and the struggle is much harder. Remember that. If you are lucky enough to be on the other side of the fence, embrace that privilege and use that strength to help someone in need instead of spewing out hateful rhetoric that only showers more hate on others and provokes violence. I applaud those not born on American soil who have dug deep in their reserve of courage to create beautiful lives here for themselves and others, who refused to accept the life that their birth afforded them and instead used that power to rechart their journeys and then opened up their arms and hearts to others. WAGE recognizes the need for immigration reform, but this should not be achieved through divisiveness or disregard for human life.
In the wake of this historical election, celebrate your right to vote and every other right as Americans we have, a right that many others do not. Learn more about a different culture, try to accept a different point of view and listen often. Then, let’s get to work. We still have much to do. Over 200 years ago, Benjamin Franklin understood. Despite only having two years of formal education, he read voraciously and stepped outside of himself before acting in everything he did; he was not afraid of admitting failure and reshaping who he was when he saw the need to do so for the greater good. Be humble, dare to dream and be kind to others and yourself.